Anxiety in medically III patients

Anxiety disorders and anxiety symptoms are highly prevalent in the general population and more so in the medically ill. They have a number of negative consequences for these patients and may worsen the outcome of the medical illness and increase health care utilization. In the evaluation of these patients, it is of paramount importance to identify the etiology of the anxiety and, in particular, to differentiate primary from secondary anxiety. Management includes medications (especially benzodiazepines and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and psychotherapy (particularly cognitive-behavioral therapy).     

Sources of Variability in the Detection of Cerebral Emboli with Transcranial Doppler During Cardiac Surgery

OBJECTIVE: The application of intensity thresholds for embolus detection with transcranial Doppler (TCD) can exclude from analysis an unrecognized proportion of high-intensity transient signals (HITS))whose intensities are below the threshold. The lack of consistent threshold criteria between clinical trials may explain part of the discrepancy in the reported HITS counts. We investigated the effect of choosing different thresholds on the sensitivity and specificity of detecting HITS during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). METHODS: Two observers independently analyzed TCD recordings from 8 patients under CPB. Doppler signals were classified as true HITS, equivocal HITS, artifacts, and Doppler speckles according to preestablished criteria. The relative intensity of Doppler signals was measured by two different methods (TCD software vs manual). Receiver Operating Characteristic curves determined the optimal threshold for each of the two intensity methods. RESULTS: Reviewers achieved agreement in 96% of 2190 Doppler signals (kappa = 0.90). Relative intensities calculated with the TCD-software method were 3 dB (95% CI: 3.0-3.4) higher than the manual method. The optimal threshold was found at 10 dB (sensitivity: 99%; specificity: 90.8%) with the software method and at 7 dB with the manual method (sensitivity: 96%; specificity: 83%). The use of an intensity threshold 2 dB higher than the optimal increased the rejection of true HITS by 8% and 14%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Using intensity thresholds higher than the optimal for embolus detection decreases HITS counts. Choosing a threshold depends on the type of method used for measuring the signal intensity. Uniform threshold criteria and comparative studies between different Doppler devices are necessary for making clinical trials more comparable.     

Gamma-hydroxybutyric Acid Tolerance and Withdrawal in a Rat Model

Long-term daily use of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and related compounds has recently been associated with a withdrawal syndrome. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there are currently no animal models of GHB withdrawal. OBJECTIVES: The authors studied and described the effect of chronic dosing of GHB (3-6 days) on tolerance and withdrawal in a rat model. METHODS: Rats were administered GHB every three hours via intraperitoneal catheter. Groups of rats (2 per group) were dosed with GHB for either 3 (24 doses), 4 (32 doses), 5 (40 doses), or 6 (48 doses) days. The GHB dose was 0.25 g/kg for doses 1-8, 0.75 g/kg for doses 9-12, 1 g/kg for doses 13-16, 1.25 g/kg for doses 17-24, 1.5 g/kg for doses 25-32, 1.75 g/kg for doses 33-40, and 2 g/kg for doses 41-48. Following the last dose of GHB, the rats were scored using a 16-point ethanol intoxication-withdrawal scale rating spontaneous behaviors, response to handling, grooming, and neurological signs. Lower scores indicate intoxication, while higher scores indicate withdrawal. Scores were recorded at hours 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12, and 24. RESULTS: Tolerance: Rats dosed with GHB for more days were less intoxicated one hour after their last GHB dose despite receiving higher doses. WITHDRAWAL: The scores for all rats dosed with GHB increased at hours 4 (p = 0.028), 5 (p = 0.037), 6 (p = 0.007), and 9 (p = 0.024) after the last dose, indicating withdrawal. The scores demonstrated a linear increase dependent upon the number of days of GHB dosing at hours 3 (p < 0.000), 4 (p = 0.004), 5 (p = 0.002), and 12 (p = 0.039) as well as prior to the last dose at hour 0 (p = 0.000). No rats developed seizures. CONCLUSIONS: Tolerance and mild withdrawal in rats can be induced by administering intraperitoneal GHB every three hours for 3-6 days. More prolonged dosing and higher doses of GHB may be necessary to induce severe withdrawal.     

The Well-being Model: A New Drug Interaction Model for Positive and Negative Effects

Background: Drugs are routinely combined in anesthesia and pain management to obtain an enhancement of the desired effects. However, a parallel enhancement of the undesired effects might take place as well, resulting in a limited therapeutic usefulness. Therefore, when addressing the question of optimal drug combinations, side effects must be taken into account.

Methods: By extension of a previously published interaction model, the authors propose a method to study drug interactions considering also their side effects. A general outcome parameter identified as patient's well-being is defined by superposition of positive and negative effects. Well-being response surfaces are computed and analyzed for varying drugs pharmacodynamics and interaction types. In particular, the existence of multiple maxima and of optimal drug combinations is investigated for the combination of two drugs.

Results: Both drug pharmacodynamics and interaction type affect the well-being surface and the deriving optimal combinations. The effect of the interaction parameters can be explained in terms of synergy and antagonism and remains unchanged for varying pharmacodynamics. For all simulations performed for the combination of two drugs, the presence of more than one maximum was never observed.     

The molecular and clinical impact of hepatocyte growth factor, its receptor, activators, and inhibitors in wound healing

Wound healing involves a number of cellular and molecular events, many of which are controlled by soluble growth factors. In the process of healing, hepatocyte growth factor, a cytokine known to act as mitogen, motogen, and morphogen, has been postulated to play multiple roles during several stages of this complex biological process. Produced primarily by stromal fibroblasts, hepatocyte growth factor regulates angiogenesis, vascular permeability, cell migration, matrix deposition and degradation, and other biological processes. The current article discusses recent progress in understanding the multiple roles played by this growth factor in tissue repair.     

Use of an in vitro model of tissue-engineered human skin to study keratinocyte attachment and migration in the process of reepithelialization

To produce a stable epidermis, keratinocytes need to be firmly attached to the basement membrane. However, following wounding, keratinocytes are required to develop a migratory phenotype in order to reepithelialize the wound. To investigate some of the issues underlying reepithelialization, we have developed a three-dimensional in vitro model of tissue-engineered skin, comprising sterilized human dermis seeded with human keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts. Using this model, we have shown that the inclusion of fibroblasts within the model increases the stability of keratinocyte attachment. We have also demonstrated that keratinocyte migration occurs most effectively in the absence of a basement membrane and following the inclusion of fibroblasts in the model. In addition, subjecting the keratinocyte layer to mechanical trauma induces a migratory phenotype. We conclude that this three-dimensional in vitro wound model can be used to increase our understanding of the factors that enhance keratinocyte migration and hence wound healing in vivo.     

Effect of catalase supplementation in storage media for avulsed teeth

Abstract – The type of liquid medium used to store avulsed teeth prior to replantation has been shown to affect the long‐term prognosis. One possibility is that some storage media contain hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) that may be toxic to periodontal ligament cells. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine if the addition of catalase to storage media improved the prognosis of replanted dog teeth. Forty‐eight mongrel premolar roots were endodontically treated, extracted, randomly divided and placed into one of four storage media: Hank's balanced salt solution (HBSS), containing no antioxidant); Viaspan, containing the antioxidant, glutathione, or the same two media supplemented with catalase(100 U ml^?1) for 1, 5, or 26 h prior to replantation. After 2 months, the dogs were euthanized and the roots histologically examined to evaluate the attachment tissues. Regardless of the storage medium used, overall healing was excellent and only 4% of the roots displayed inflammatory or replacement resorption. When roots from the different storage media were compared, those stored in HBSS were found to display the highest incidence of surface resorption (55.7%). Supplementation of HBSS with catalase resulted in a lower level of surface resorption (48.6%) that was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Roots stored in Viaspan – or + catalase displayed even lower levels of surface resorption (41.3 and 38.2%, respectively). The improvement observed with catalase‐supplemented HBSS was confined to the 45‐min incubation period; only Viaspan – or + catalase reduced surface resorption at the 5‐ and 26‐h incubations. Collectively, these data demonstrate that roots stored in media containing antioxidant activity undergo less surface resorption. These results suggest that low levels of H₂O₂ in storage media for avulsed teeth may adversely affect periodontal ligament cells.     

Prevention of Descending Pneumonia in Rats with Perflubron-delivered Tobramycin

OBJECTIVES: Patients undergoing emergent endotracheal intubation are at increased risk for developing pneumonia. Although numerous strategies have been investigated to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), the incidence of VAP and its associated mortality remains high. This investigation tested the hypothesis that LiquiVent (Alliance Pharmaceutical, San Diego, CA-LV) delivered antibiotics (via spray-dried microspheres-SDM) would improve survival in a rat model of descending gram-negative pneumonia. METHODS: Wistar rats (n = 49) were randomized to receive prophylaxis with 1). nothing (controls); 2). intramuscular (IM) tobramycin, 3). intratracheal LV plus SDM shells (vehicle), 4). intratracheal LV plus SDM shells plus IM tobramycin, or 5). intratracheal LV plus SDM containing 1 mg/kg of tobramycin. All interventions were given 24 hours before a bacterial challenge with 10(8) colony-forming units of intratracheal Klebsiella pneumoniae. Mortality at ten days was the sole outcome measure. Survival in individual groups was compared with controls by Fisher's exact test with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: All animals in the control group died of pneumonia within ten days of bacterial inoculation (0% survival). Prophylaxis with either IM tobramycin or SDM vehicle plus IM tobramycin provided no protection (0% survival). This is in sharp contrast to the cohort receiving pretreatment with tobramycin-containing SDM delivered via LV, in which 60% of the animals survived to study completion (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Prophylaxis with SDM containing antibiotics delivered in low-dose LV provided significant protection in a rat model of descending gram-negative pneumonia. These data support the hypothesis that perfluorocarbon-delivered intratracheal antimicrobials may be useful in the prevention of VAP.